Cowes Isle of Wight

Neckender

Neckender

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We loaded our new trailer up and left home on Tuesday for a 2 week holiday in Cowes Isle of Wight, staying at Waverley camp site overlooking the Solent.
A few pictures.

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Sorry don't know why the pictures came out that way.
 
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Went there back in June 2006 using a deal with the Caravan Club ( as it was then ) and it cost £105 which included the 1.5m length supplement for the Red Funnel ferry and 5 nights on the Orchards Holiday Park campsite. Just done a trial booking and today it would cost £200.

Had a great time and Carisbrooke Castle was very interesting however even back then parking a 7.5m motorhome was really restrictive :(

Have a good holiday :cool:
 
Re :- Osborne House .............................................................

i had a word with security and they let us park in the overflow car park which they closed after we went in and was the only vehicle in there.

They said chose your place so i found a great level spot right next to the footpath, hekis went on the vents, fridge on gas and we spent the day there.

Went back to the motorhome for dinner so as we didn't have to pay the exhorbitant prices in the cafe there and had tea there before we left, security let us out.
 
Fazerloz said:
I really like the IOW and have been for a week the last couple of years renting a house in Ventnor as we went on the bike. If you can't do hills it's a no go.
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Back then wifey wasn't keen on going down or coming back up Zig Zag Road to and from the large car park off the Esplanade in the motorhome :eek:

Now i've initiated her on proper roads she's more than happy doing the Pyrenean or Rhone Alps cols :cool:
 
'What's brown and comes out of Cowes, steaming?' - The Isle of Wight Ferry ... :ROFLMAO:

Started work in Bitterne, Southampton in late December 1986, and my [sadistic] Boss arranged a 2 weeks induction programme starting in mid-January 1987 at Cowes which required taking the 0730 [IIRC] Red Funnel Hydrofoil from Southampton. That was bad enough, but, when we returned to the Terminal for the evening Hydrofoil from Cowes, the vessel was in darkness; Skipper explained that the Hydrofoil had lost power to the cabin and navigation lights, but still had engine power; our choice was to either wait for an extra slot the final sailing of the evening, or, we could just go for it, and rely upon the Coastguard to warn other vessels that we we would be bouncing up Southampton Water in darkness, so to watch out for us ... We chose the latter; quite exciting, if a little disorientating :ROFLMAO:

During my 2 weeks, I met more Brummies and Black Country ex-pats than I encountered when working in the Black Country ... 'Aynuk & Ayli Go Large' Visit ...

Steve
 
Fun fact

I actually swam to the Isle of Wight the first time I went there. I was taking part in the Cowes week racing in the Sigma 38 class in 1995. bobbing about 100 metres off shore waiting for the start I suddenly realised I had run out of fags. So armed with a Tupperware box with some cash in it I dived overboard (Milk tray advert style of course), swam to shore and bought some fags.

There is more to the story but people are probably sick of me mentioning ending up on Catherine Zeta Jones's boat on the way back :D
 
barryd said:
Fun fact

I actually swam to the Isle of Wight the first time I went there. I was taking part in the Cowes week racing in the Sigma 38 class in 1995. bobbing about 100 metres off shore waiting for the start I suddenly realised I had run out of fags. So armed with a Tupperware box with some cash in it I dived overboard (Milk tray advert style of course), swam to shore and bought some fags.

There is more to the story but people are probably sick of me mentioning ending up on Catherine Zeta Jones's boat on the way back :D
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Was there in '88 (and several other years).

Didn't swim ashore though! :oops: 😄

We came 4th in our class on this occasion. Not a bad result as the race had one of the biggest number of yachts in attendance that year.
Tiddly little 30 foot H boat with a very experienced captain. Happy days... 👌🌞😉

Cowes 1988.jpeg


Cowes 1988-2.jpg
 
mariesnowgoose said:
Was there in '88 (and several other years).

Didn't swim ashore though! :oops: 😄

We came 4th in our class on this occasion. Not a bad result as the race had one of the biggest number of yachts in attendance that year.
Tiddly little 30 foot H boat with a very experienced captain. Happy days... 👌🌞😉

View attachment 206929

View attachment 206930
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Brilliant.

I haven't been sailing for years. I think the last time would be St Croix lake in Provence and a couple of others in 2017/18. Hobie Cats. I used to love them as they are so fast. I could have gone last summer but I chickened out mainly because I was concerned about my dodgy knees.
 
barryd said:
Fun fact

I actually swam to the Isle of Wight the first time I went there. I was taking part in the Cowes week racing in the Sigma 38 class in 1995. bobbing about 100 metres off shore waiting for the start I suddenly realised I had run out of fags. So armed with a Tupperware box with some cash in it I dived overboard (Milk tray advert style of course), swam to shore and bought some fags.

There is more to the story but people are probably sick of me mentioning ending up on Catherine Zeta Jones's boat on the way back :D
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Which Sigma 38?
 
TJBi said:
Which Sigma 38?
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Oh blimey I can't remember. It was 30 years ago. It was the last race the Duke of Edinburgh raced in in Yeoman. Actually it might have been 96 or 97. I remember it well as we ended up close up with him several times. He had a fit young naval crew and we had a crew whilst experienced with some of them proper old pros that were mainly getting lashed. :D I don't think we were taking it very seriously but we still beat him. :D
 
mariesnowgoose said:
Was there in '88 (and several other years).

Didn't swim ashore though! :oops: 😄

We came 4th in our class on this occasion. Not a bad result as the race had one of the biggest number of yachts in attendance that year.
Tiddly little 30 foot H boat with a very experienced captain. Happy days... 👌🌞😉

View attachment 206929

View attachment 206930
Click to expand...
I had not long moved to Warsash, on the Hamble, and was working in Bitterne at that time; one of my customers, Peter Falconer, was crewing for a rather well-heeled yacht owner in the event; he enjoyed it so much, he joined a subsequent voyage to sail across to France [IIRC it took them around 2 days to get there]. We did try to land at Cowes Yacht Club in my neighbour's 'inherited' rather scruffy yacht, in the hope of buying Saturday lunch, but were refused permission, because we were not members ... It must have been about 10 days after we became marooned about 15 feet off the mooring [turned out to be a 12p broken cotter pin on the outboard motor, as I detailed in an earlier Post about 6 weeks ago], because al we had with us to eat was a couple of bags of crisps from the aborted Wednesday evening picnic when we were rescued by the owner of a real contrast gin palace, who told us he would waive his rights to the salvage ... 'Twas after that episode that I learned to spell 'supercilious' ... :ROFLMAO:

Steve
 
marchie said:
I had not long moved to Warsash, on the Hamble, and was working in Bitterne at that time; one of my customers, Peter Falconer, was crewing for a rather well-heeled yacht owner in the event; he enjoyed it so much, he joined a subsequent voyage to sail across to France [IIRC it took them around 2 days to get there]. We did try to land at Cowes Yacht Club in my neighbour's 'inherited' rather scruffy yacht, in the hope of buying Saturday lunch, but were refused permission, because we were not members ... It must have been about 10 days after we became marooned about 15 feet off the mooring [turned out to be a 12p broken cotter pin on the outboard motor, as I detailed in an earlier Post about 6 weeks ago], because al we had with us to eat was a couple of bags of crisps from the aborted Wednesday evening picnic when we were rescued by the owner of a real contrast gin palace, who told us he would waive his rights to the salvage ... 'Twas after that episode that I learned to spell 'supercilious' ... :ROFLMAO:

Steve
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We sailed over to France in a few races back in the 80s.

Supercilious Hooray Henries were the order of the day (not on our gaff, we were captained by landed gentry with morals and principles; yes, a rare, unicorn-like beast...! 😉 :cool: ).

The Hooray Henries and Henriettas - who, thankfully, we managed to mostly avoid, except where no choice in places like crowded restaurants (where they behaved like oiks) and in the lock awaiting our entry into/out of the marina (where they behaved like oiks) - proved themselves 100% to be complete and utter tw*ts down to virtually every last man and women. No exaggeration... 🤷‍♀️😜😁
 
barryd said:
Oh blimey I can't remember. It was 30 years ago. It was the last race the Duke of Edinburgh raced in in Yeoman. Actually it might have been 96 or 97. I remember it well as we ended up close up with him several times. He had a fit young naval crew and we had a crew whilst experienced with some of them proper old pros that were mainly getting lashed. :D I don't think we were taking it very seriously but we still beat him. :D
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1997, then. Prince Philip abandoned competing at Cowes Week when Britannia was decommissioned.
I raced in the Solent (and occasionally elsewhere) on a Sigma 38 from 1990 to 1995, working my way up from running backstays to navigator.
 
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